The Prepositional Infinitive Complex

Subject

It is easy for you to say that.

For him to help his friends is quite natural.

Predicative

The question is for you to decide.

The best thing is for you to move to the South.

Object

I waited for him to speak.

Attribute

This is the book for you to read.

Adverbial modifier of purpose

He opened the doors of the car for us to get in.

I’ve brought two books for my son to read.

Adverbial modifier of result

The weather was too cold for the children to go out.

It was too dark for her to see him.

is used after

the verbs

denoting

a) perceptions

of senses*:

to see

to hear

to feel

to watch

to observe

to notice

I saw him get off the bus.

Did you hear her sing?

She felt her voice tremble.

I watch her enter the shop.

We observe the direction constantly change.

Nobody noticed him come in.

b) wish, intention, emotions:

to want

to wish

to like

to dislike

to hate

to intend should/would like

I want you to help me.

He wishes the work to be done at once.

He likes dinner to be in time. I dislike you to say such words.

I hate you to talk like that.

He intended me to go with him.

I should like you to stay here.

c) mental

activity:

to consider

to believe

to think

to find

to know

to expect to suppose

I consider him to be right.

I believe her to be a good teacher.

We thought him to be sleeping.

We find this value to be accurate enough.

I know him to have said that.

We expected her to return.

I suppose him to be about fifty.

d) order,

request,

permission,

advice, compulsion:

to order

to ask

to request

to allow

to advise

to recommend

to cause

to force

get

to make*

to let*

He ordered the children to stop talking.

I asked Tom to help me.

He requested the matter to be kept secret.

She doesn’t allow anyone to smoke.

She advised me to tell the police about it.

I wouldn’t recommend you to stay here.

Her laziness caused her to fail.

He forced me to go there.

I got him to repair my car.

What makes you think so?

Let me go.

is used with

a) the verbs

of speech:

to say

to report

to inform

She is said to write a new novel.

They are reported to have left London.

He was informed to have arrived in Kyiv.

verbs denoting: b) mental

activity:

to consider

to believe

to think

to find

to know

to expect

to suppose

He is considered to be a good speaker.

He is believed to know English.

He was thought to have gone.

They are found to be unfit for service.

History is known to repeat itself.

She is expected to come any minute.

He is supposed to know these things.

c) perceptions

of senses

to see

to hear

to feel

to watch

to observe

to notice

He was seen to cross the street.

She was heard to mention your name.

She was felt to be suffering.

He was watched to dance in the hall.

The woman was observed to follow him.

He was noticed to unlock the door.

d) order,

request,

permission,

advice,

compulsion:

to order

to ask

to allow

to advise

to force

to make

They were ordered to go to bed.

She was asked to come on Monday.

I wasn’t allowed to watch the film.

We were advised not to drink the water.

He was forced to give up this work.

He was made to repeat the rule.

e) with

the verbs

to seem

to appear

to happen

to chance

to prove

to turn out

The child seems to be asleep.

He appears to know a lot of things.

I happened to see him yesterday.

He chanced to have recognized me.

Your advice proved to be very useful.

He turned out to be a good friend.

f) with

the expressions:

to be likely

to be unlikely

to be sure

to be certain

They are likely to come here.

He is unlikely to come tomorrow.

He is sure to go hunting.

He is sure to ring you up.